MagBeam

MagBeam ( Magnetized -beam plasma propulsion or Magnetized Plasma Jet Drive ) is the name for a theoretical recoil system in space. Inspired, the current work of Professor Robert M. Winglee on Earth and Space Sciences Department of the University of Washington in Seattle ( Washington). This has the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts ( NIAC ) taken after Winglee has introduced the concept of an annual NIAC Congress in 2005. So was the student Andrew Bingham at Clarkson University, Clarkson (New York) an award of NIAC for his work on MagBeam.

The approach is the idea that ion propulsion, MOA or similar propulsion systems onboard a spacecraft can only develop a low thrust and must therefore be accelerated over a very long period of time. This makes the engines for future manned missions to more distant destinations such as Mars or Saturn 's moon Titan, rather unsuitable. If you wanted to reach a larger boost so much heavier engines and a greater mass support would be required. However, this has a negative effect on the size of the vehicle, but this would make again require greater thrust. This dilemma can be escaped, that separates the drive from the vehicle, a strategy that is also being pursued in the Lightcraft concept, but when MagBeam with überschaubarerem energy. When MagBeam the driving beam to be generated in space stations, according to the concept conceivable locations of such stations are an Earth orbit and Saturn orbit. A ground-based driving unit is not possible, since this type of drives will only work in a vacuum.

The original idea of the drive comes from the science fiction novel " Mote in God's Eye" by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, published for the first time in 1975 in the original English edition.